Author: staff
“Is it conceivable he didn’t know about some of these corruption schemes?” Goncharenko said. “I don’t know the answer.” “But I can tell you that Zelenskyy is very much about micromanagement. So it is hard to imagine that he didn’t know what Mindich, Chernyshov, and now allegedly Yermak, were doing.” Goncharenko, who chairs a parliamentary investigative commission on corruption, said he had called some of Zelenskyy’s former aides to appear before the commission. “We want to interrogate them. So that’s what we are doing on Wednesday,” Goncharenko said. Zelenskyy’s defenders argue there’s no direct evidence tying the president to any…
Published on 12/05/2026 – 18:19 GMT+2•Updated 18:26 A vast majority of EU member states criticised the reopening of the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale during a “heated discussion” among the bloc’s culture ministers on Tuesday in Brussels. Many ministers also expressed support for the European Commission’s move to freeze a €2 million grant to the Biennale Foundation for allowing Russia’s participation, several diplomats told Euronews. The issue was raised by Latvian Minister of Culture Agnese Lāce, who called for preventing what she described as “the instrumentalization of cultural institutions by Russia.” According to people in the room, a total…
The surface vessels would be offered in addition to U.K. autonomous minehunting systems, and the forward deployment of the warship HMS Dragon, a Type-45 Destroyer. Healey offered Starmer his backing as dozens of Labour MPs called on the PM to quit, posting on X: “People are worried about current conflicts and looming global crises. They expect their government to lead the country through, as the PM is doing. More instability is not in Britain’s interest. Our full focus now must be on dealing with immediate economic [and] security challenges.” Starmer declined to discuss his own future at a meeting of…
Updated: 12/05/2026 – 16:38 GMT+2 Residents in Beijing shared mixed opinions ahead of the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, with some hoping for improved ties and others expressing skepticism. … More
A centuries-old horse breed from the Caucasus is attracting renewed attention in Europe, as breeders and researchers work to protect a lineage that once came close to disappearing. The Karabakh horse is celebrated for its stamina, intelligence, and distinctive golden sheen. Today, conservation efforts in Germany, combined with structured breeding programmes in Azerbaijan, are helping secure the future of this historic breed. “Collaboration between European equestrian specialists and breeders from the horses’ native region is vital,” says horse trainer Philip Hager, who works with young Karabakh horses in Germany. “The Karabakh is the type of horse that can take you…
Looking ahead, Merz called pension reform the “toughest nut to crack.” “None of this is malice on my part or on the part of the federal government,” he insisted. “It is demography and mathematics.” That line drew another wave of boos and whistles from the audience. The hostile reception comes as Merz’s popularity continues to crater. According to the latest monthly DeutschlandTrend survey published on May 7, just 13 percent of Germans say they are satisfied with the work of the coalition between Merz’s conservatives and the Social Democrats. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has meanwhile surged past Merz’s…
Updated: 12/05/2026 – 9:15 GMT+2 Sixteen French families have launched an unusual collective complaint against TikTok, accusing the platform of a systematic “abuse of weakness.” According to Franceinfo, their lawyer describes the algorithm as “digital crack,” designed to trap teenagers in mental prisons. Let’s investigate. … More
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has warned Iran on Tuesday against weaponising the Strait of Hormuz in order to intimidate its neighbours. Speaking alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Doha, Al Thani told the gathered press that “Iran should not use this strait as a weapon to pressure or to blackmail the Gulf countries.” “It’s an international water corridor that should be always protected and should be always safeguarded,” he said. “This current state of the strait and what’s happening over there should never be repeated.” Fidan further emphasised Al Thani’s message…
By Una Hajdari with AP Published on 12/05/2026 – 16:15 GMT+2 US consumer prices climbed sharply again last month as the 10-week Iran war pushed energy costs higher. The US Department of Labour’s consumer price index rose 3.8% from April 2025, according to data released on Tuesday. On a month-to-month basis, April prices rose 0.6% from March, with petrol up 5.4% during the month. The month-over-month gain was down from 0.9% increase from February to March. Petrol prices are up more than 28% compared with a year ago, according to US government data. The AAA motor club reported the average price of a…
The review aims “to make sure that we do have effective carbon pricing for the full share of EU emissions,” said Polona Gregorin, head of unit for transport at the Commission’s climate department. Speaking at a conference with aviation lobbyists, Gregorin warned that the ETS could be extended to “departing flights,” meaning all journeys from Europe, regardless of destination. According to Transport & Environment, if the ETS had applied to all departing flights last year, total revenues for the EU and its member countries could have reached €12.7 billion, roughly three times what was collected from the aviation sector in…